The chamber said that though it feels the situation is a grave one concerning other areas in Guyana most affected by criminal elements, there was no need to shut down business in Bartica.

The chamber said it wishes to inform the general public and the 'Unite Guyana' group that it stands strong against the advertisement made and mentioned in the Stabroek News newspaper yesterday.

It said that ideas and public statements are not neutral and cause people to think and sometimes lead to them to action.

"If therefore, one puts forward inflammatory ideas, or makes statements that can easily be interpreted as destabilising in effect, one cannot shirk the consequences and these statements can be absurd and provocative", it said in a press statement.

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) will be giving moral support to the business community in protest and has sanctioned that its members are free to join but yesterday expressed disappointment in the manner in which the protest was called claiming that the union was not officially communicated with by any organisation inviting it to be a part of the move.

It said there is a protocol and procedure for its involvement in any such action.

In a press statement read at a news conference by Research Officer, Ms. Chandrawattie Persaud, the union said it recognises that the action has merits and warrants protest stating, "we extend moral support and we leave it to the members to determine their participation based on their conscious decision."

The group calling the protest, 'Unite Guyana', in one of many full-page advertisements in the Kaieteur News and Stabroek News, said the shut down call is in response to the failure of the political leadership to address the most pressing problem in the society today - the safety and security of citizens.

It demanded that the political parties and the Government accept that the country is in a crisis, that all political parties come together to resolve the situation immediately without any preconditions, that the security forces take a more proactive and direct action to resolve the crime situation, and an explanation why they have failed to uphold the fundamental rights of all civilised societies - the security of its citizens.

The GPSU, however, expressed disappointment that the group, which it said had not met with the union, had not called a news conference to definitively identify itself and its objectives.

Several business chambers around the country have reportedly come out in support of the shut down call.

But Mr. Steve Chung, President of the Guyana Petrol Station Dealers Association, said the Texaco service stations cannot join the protest and close since they come under the Essential Services Act and would therefore have to consult the relevant authorities first.